Pete & Geri Scazzero Blog

I did a year-long internship at Grace Chapel when I was a seminary student many years ago. I did that in order to learn from Gordon MacDonald, the senior pastor at the time. Over the last 30 years, God has used Gordon as a key mentor in my life. (He is now 72 years). Last week, at the Germany Willow Creek Summit, we had a great deal of time together.

The following are the key points of the message he delivered last week at that conference. His text was: ‘”I have fought the good fight, finished the course…”(2 Tim.4)  Here are some things MacDonald said you can anticipate as a leader over the long-haul:

1. You can anticipate periodic brokenness and rebuilding.   “I have been broken so badly (in leadership) it is a wonder the pieces ever got put back together again. You have a choice you must make every day. Most people will choose to deny the pain or blame others, or you can accept it and in the middle of that pain, you can listen to God. He will say things to you He could not say under any other circumstances.”

2. You can anticipate that your spiritual life will have many ups and downs. This will not change but is part of being a follower of Jesus, even after 50 years.

3. You can anticipate God will open your eyes to new realities in world and people you are to pay attention to. In every decade there will be a surprise. God will lead you so see new things, both in yourself and around you.

4. You can anticipate God will burden you with certain themes over time. The gospel is huge. Expect God to attune you to two or three truths. He will visit you with a theme. Ask yourself, ‘What is theme, or themes, for you?”

5. You can anticipate when younger people begin asking you questions they ask a mother or father. If you are over 50, the needle of your ministry life will move from programs to people.  Focus your life on being a spiritual mother/father to younger people.

What might you add to this list (especially if you over 70!)?

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When I was asked recently about the best books I read in 2011, I soon realized the challenge of trying to limit it to a top ten. In my case here, I have eleven. The following list is not in order of importance:

1.The Mindful Brain: Reflection and Attunement in the Cultivation of Well-Being, by Daniel Siegel.  This was impactful in understanding the neuroscience and research for emotionally healthy skills and contemplative spirituality if we are doing to do transformational discipleship in our churches.

2. Echoing Silence: Thomas Merton on the Vocation of Writing, edited by Robert Inchausti. I love writing. It is art to me, not business. His integration of prayer along with writing as a calling was a wonderful gift to me in my own efforts to be faithful to God as a writer.

3. Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke.  Again, impactful for my leadership and writing. His emphasis on letting our ponderings “have their own quiet, undisturbed development..to come from deep within, (that) cannot be pressed or hurried.”

4. Soulful Spirituality: Becoming Fully Alive and Deeply Human, by David Benner.  One of the best writers today, integrating his decades as a clinical psychologist with contemplative spirituality. Excellent.

5. Open Mind, Open Heart: The Contemplative Dimension of the Gospel, by Thomas Keating. I reread this during the summer and my 10 day silent retreat at St. Benedict’s monastery in Colorado. Understood the need for silence and the dismembering of the false self/transformation in Christ in a new way.  (I am sure the silence and slowness in which I read it was a factor also!)

6. Contemplative Vision: A Guide to Christian Art and Prayer, by Juliet Benner.  This is a wonderful devotional, formation book that I have used with our staff team and integrated into a sermon or two this past year. Great resource.

7. Living Gently in a Violent World: The Prophetic Witness of Weakness, By Stanley Hauerwas and Jean Vanier. Very important, well-balanced work on God’s heart for the weak and marginalized. Filled with gems, especially from Vanier and his work with the L’Arche communities of the disabled.

9. Emotional Intelligence 2.0, by Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves.  This is the most popular, well read work on the market about integrating emotional intelligence into the marketplace. I was pleasantly surprised by the wisdom and insight in it. If we ever develop a formal training program with our EH Skills, these are people from whom we can learn a great deal.

10. The Book of Mystical Chapters: Meditations on the Soul’s Ascent from the Desert Fathers and Other Early Contemplatives translated and introduced by John Anthony McGuckin.    This has been a devotional book I continued to periodically use throughout the year. Filled with gems (along with a rock here and there) from the early church fathers.

11. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption, by Laura Hillenbrand.  Amazing, true story about the ability and will of a human being to live. It also is a picture into the depth of our human depravity. Great book to enjoy.

What books might you add this to list?

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Can we serve as effective leaders in Christ’s church who lead others spiritually without receiving spiritual direction ourselves?

I do not think so. I speak here not simply from the witness of church history but also from my own journey of mistakes and failures. God has recently cemented this lesson in me as I have reflected on a recent decision I made that I wish I had more fully explored in spiritual direction.

We don’t talk about the term “spiritual direction” very often in the context of leadership, yet helping people respond to what God is uniquely doing in them is one of the most important things we do.

At the same time, being under spiritual direction is also critical. Eugene Peterson, in Working the Angles, warns us: “Our position requires that we act with authority; our faith requires we live in submission. While we are busy passing out the Lord’s commands in our congregations and communities, who is there to represent the same authority to us?…It is not merely nice for pastors to have a spiritual director. It is indispensable.” He defines spiritual direction as taking place “when two people agree to give their full attention to what God is doing in one (or both) of their lives and seek to respond in faith.”

I was deeply impacted by my recent Christmas sermon called “Making Room for New Births,” based on the the story of Mary and Elizabeth. I used the painting, The Visitation, by He Qi to illustrate Luke 1:39-56. It captures Elizabeth giving undivided attention to Mary. Take some time to meditate on the details of the painting.

Mary makes a three-month visit to Elizabeth’s house after she becomes pregnant. Elizabeth, her older, more mature cousin, had spent 5 months in solitude around her own pregnancy. As a result, she is fully attentive to Mary, honoring the presence of Christ within her.  Mary receives support, encouragement and hospitality for the new thing God is doing in and through her. This was key for Mary, I believe, so she could receive from God the strength she would need to hear His voice alone.

What might God be birthing in you? Who might be a peer, a godly friend, a formal spiritual director, another pastoral leader who might be able to be an Elizabeth to you as you seek to humbly respond to the living Jesus inside of you?

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